Sam Muchnick (August 22, 1905 - December 30, 1998^[1]) was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff He is often deemed as wrestling’s equivalent of Pete Rozelle (the forward-thinking commissioner who revolutionized the NFL), and he was instrumental in establishing the National Wrestling Alliance, which became the industry’s top governing body, in 1948. Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle ( March 1 1926 – December 6 1996) was the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA ^[1] Muchnick served as the NWA's president from 1950 to 1960 and from 1963 to 1975. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He operated the St. Louis Wrestling Club, one of the primary members of the NWA based in St. Louis, Missouri. The St Louis Wrestling Club was a Professional wrestling promotion based in St ^[1]

Contents 1 Early life 2 St. Louis promoter 3 National Wrestling Alliance 4 NWA President 5 Retirement and death 6 Accomplishments 7 References 8 External links

Early life

Jeshua Muchnick was born in the Ukraine to a jewish family on August 22, 1905, but moved to the United States in 1911. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He grew up in St. Louis, and his name was changed to Samuel when his father decided that Jeshua (Jesus, or Joshua) was an inappropriate name for a Jewish child. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Joshua, Jehoshuah, or Yehoshua ( 'יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Tiberian: jə While attending school, he worked various jobs to help out his family before earning his high school degree (though he ditched his graduation to attend a live wrestling event at the Odeon Theatre, where he watched the great Wladek Zbyszko in action). Wladek Zbyszko ( November 20, 1891 - June 10, 1968) real name Wladek Cyganiewicz, was a Professional wrestler and In 1924, he took a job with the U.S. Postal Service; and in 1926, he joined the sports staff at the St. Louis Times newspaper, where he covered the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team while developing many influential acquaintances (including Babe Ruth, Al Capone, and others). The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St George Herman Ruth Jr (February 6 1895 &ndash August 16 1948 also popularly known as " Babe " " The Bambino " and " The Sultan of Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone (January 17 1899 &ndash January 25 1947 commonly nicknamed Scarface, was an Italian American Gangster who Muchnick also covered professional wrestling , where he formed a friendship with Tom Packs, who was the Midwest’s top sports promoter. Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff Tom Packs (1894-1964 was among the preeminent Professional wrestling promoters during the first half of the 20th century In 1932, the Times merged with the rival St. Louis Star, and Muchnick left the paper for a position as Packs’ publicist, where he handled public relations, finances, and even booking duties. Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred

St. Louis promoter

For nine years, Sam Muchnick served as Tom Packs’ right-hand man while learning the ropes under one of the nation’s most powerful promoters. However, Muchnick was insulted when Packs awarded him a paltry $200 bonus following the duo’s successful promotion of the Joe Louis vs. Joseph Louis Barrow ( May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) better known as Joe Louis, was a heavyweight boxing champion. Tony Musto heavyweight title bout in April 1941 (a fight that drew profits of $14,000). Muchick then decided to leave his mentor when longtime wrestling champion Jim Londos (who was also on the outs with Packs) convinced him to start his own organization. Christos Theofilou or Christopher Theophelus ( January 2, 1897 – August 19, 1975) better known as "The Golden Greek" Despite facing heavy resistance from Packs (who possessed much political clout with the State Athletic Commission), Muchnick promoted his first shows in May 1942 before enlisting in the Air Force during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Upon returning, Muchnick continued to face competitive pressures from Packs; though he filed several court injunctions to promote his first show at St. Louis’ renowned Kiel Auditorium on December 5, 1945. Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena that stood in St Louis Missouri from 1934 - 1991. With the help of maverick Ohio promoter Jack Pfefer (who sent Sam several wrestlers to help him get started), Muchnick drew 3,771 fans to the arena while featuring such veteran wrestling stars as Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Roy Dunn, and others. Jack Pfefer (also commonly spelled as “Pfeffer” ( December 10, 1894 - September 13, 1974) was an influential Professional wrestling Robert Herman Julius Fredrich ( June 30 1891 - August 8 1966) was a professional wrestler whose career spanned four decades

National Wrestling Alliance

Over the next few years, Muchnick was often forced to use old-timers past their primes as Packs employed most of the top talent (including reigning World Champion Lou Thesz). Aloysius Martin Thesz ( April 24 1916 - April 28 2002) also known as The Great One, was a professional wrestler and Then in the summer of 1948, Muchnick was approached by Iowa’s Pinky George and Minnesota’s Tony Stecher about forming a new wrestling union. Up until this time, all pro wrestling regulations had come from the National Wrestling Association, which was made up of various athletic commissions. The National Wrestling Association was an off-shoot of the National Boxing Association, formed to sanction Professional wrestling. Their idea was to form a coalition of promoters, which would then share the bookings of the World Champion and top wrestlers, while also splitting the gate draws. And so on July 19, 1948, Sam Muchnick met with fellow promoters Pinky George, Wally Karbo (representing Tony Stecher), Orville Brown, Max Clayton, and Al Haft at the President Hotel in Waterloo, Iowa to form what was named the National Wrestling Alliance. Walter J Karbo ( 14 August 1915 – 23 March 1993) was an American wrestling promoter and co-founder of the American Wrestling Association Orville Brown ( March 10 1908 &ndash January 24 1981) was a Professional wrestler. Waterloo is the County seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. Pinky George was named the organization’s first President while Orville Brown was subsequently recognized as the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Shortly thereafter, Muchnick became the beneficiary of talent exchanges with various territories that joined the NWA. As a result, he was then able to secure the services of an innovative young heel named "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, who had previously been wrestling in Jack Pfefer’s Toledo, Ohio territory. "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, born Herman C Rohde Jr, ( February 20 1921 &ndash June 26 1992) was a Professional Jack Pfefer (also commonly spelled as “Pfeffer” ( December 10, 1894 - September 13, 1974) was an influential Professional wrestling This article is about the city in Ohio, USA. For Toledo Spain, see that article Rogers’ outspoken persona and charismatic personality allowed him to outdraw even the great Lou Thesz (who by now had taken over much of Tom Packs’ operation) while adding legitimacy to Muchnick’s company. Tom Packs (1894-1964 was among the preeminent Professional wrestling promoters during the first half of the 20th century Eventually, the two St. Louis groups would merge while starting a promotional war angle; and Muchnick kept a controlling interest in the territory by holding two percentage points more than Thesz. Then on November 27, 1949, Thesz unified the National Wrestling Association and National Wrestling Alliance World Titles after Brown was injured in an auto accident prior to their scheduled match.

NWA President

In 1950, Sam Muchnick was named the new President of the NWA, a position to which he would be unanimously re-elected for the next nine years due to the immense trust that he inspired among the various members of the organization. With Sam at the helm, the NWA became the dominant governing body in pro wrestling, as nearly every major wrestling territory across the country joined the Alliance in order to gain access to the treasure chest that was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, who was universally recognized as the industry’s premier star. Under Muchnick’s leadership, the NWA would also donate thousands of dollars to help fund the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Then in the late 1950s, Sam Muchnick formed the St. Louis Wrestling Club while producing a new television program titled Wrestling at the Chase on KPLR-TV, which ran from May 23, 1959 to September 10, 1983. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Wrestling at the Chase was a Professional wrestling television series that aired in St KPLR-TV, channel 11 is a television station in St Louis Missouri. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) There were approximately 1,100 episodes made during that time span. The show would become one of the most popular local productions in St. Louis television history as it turned pro wrestling into a nationally popular entertainment while bringing the many stars of the NWA into the homes of its fans.

By 1960, Sam Muchnick stepped aside as NWA President so that the organization could benefit from new ideas. He served as executive secretary under Frank Tunney, Fred Kohler, and Karl “Doc” Sarpolis, but it became clear that those men were more concerned with their own territories. Francis Martin “Frank” Tunney was born on November 12, 1912. Fred Kohler ( April 20, 1888 &ndash October 28, 1938) was an American actor known for his "heavy" style of character Consequently, Muchnick was unanimously re-installed as NWA President in 1963 and held the office until 1977, thus contributing a total of 25 years as the industry’s most influential promoter. During his second reign, Muchnick maintained the NWA’s position as wrestling’s top power while he also displayed an uncanny eye for scouting future talent, as his St. Louis territory groomed such eventual champions as Johnny Valentine, Gene Kiniski, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, Ric Flair, and many others. Johnny Valentine (born John Theodore Wisniski, September 22, 1928 &ndash April 24, 2001) was a Professional Eugene Nicholas Kiniski (born November 23 1928) better known as Gene Kiniski, is a retired Canadian Professional wrestler and Harley Leland Race (born April 11 1943) is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter Dorrance Funk Jr Dory Jr still claims that the accident and injuries were real but does not explain why he did not lose the title to Brisco as the NWA board had planned Terrence "Terry" Funk (born June 30 1944) is an American professional wrestler and Actor known chiefly for the Richard Morgan Fliehr According to WWE and PWI Flair is an eight-time National Wrestling Alliance (NWA Champion, six-time WCW Champion Moreover, he expanded the NWA globally by inking agreements with territories in Mexico, the Far East, Europe, and the Caribbean. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting

Retirement and death

Muchnick promoted his last card on January 1, 1982, which was subsequently named “Sam Muchnick Day” in St. Louis by Mayor Vincent Schoemehl. Vincent C Schoemehl Jr (born October 30 1946 in St Louis was the 42nd Mayor of St Without Muchnick’s leadership, the NWA’s power base gradually eroded in the 1980s as WWF head Vince McMahon seceded from the group and embarked on a national expansion. Vincent Kennedy McMahon (born August 24 1945 popularly known by his Ring name Mr Then in 1988, the NWA’s leading promoter Jim Crockett Jr. sold his territories to Ted Turner, who created World Championship Wrestling as a direct national competitor to McMahon’s WWF. Jim Crockett Jr (born 1944 is a former Professional wrestling promoter and the owner of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions

On December 30, 1998, at the age of 93, Muchnick died of internal bleeding. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) ^[1]

Accomplishments

• Member of the NWA Hall of Fame (inducted in 2005)^[2]

• St. Louis Wrestling Hall Of Fame
  • (Class of 2007)

References

External links

• Wrestling-Titles.com: Sam Muchnick

Preceded by Paul "Pinkie" George	President of the National Wrestling Alliance 1950–1960	Succeeded by Frank Tunney
Preceded by Karl Sarpolis	President of the National Wrestling Alliance 1963–1975	Succeeded by Jack Adkisson

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The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Jack Barton Adkisson ( August 16 1929 - September 10 1997) was an American Professional wrestler under the Ring name

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